DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/E2MJ-TW95
Defense Date
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
Interior Design
First Advisor
Sara Reed
Second Advisor
Roberto Ventura
Abstract
This thesis orients a public library toward the James River with the purpose of strengthening Richmond’s connection to this waterway. Adapting an existing warehouse with a history of river industry, this project used evidence-based design decisions to drive its development. Using interviews, surveys, and case studies, the design is organized around a central gathering space where the river enters the building and around which spaces for study, stacks, and children flow. It also incorporates an amphitheater that evokes the feeling of sitting on the river’s shore. Using panoramic views to the river and city skyline along with a material palette drawn from the place, a strong connection was drawn between the river as the city’s water source and the library as a community anchor.
The city of Richmond was founded on The James River because of all it provided and was the core of city life, but with the rise of the Industrial Era and the changes it brought, the city’s industry turned elsewhere. To this day, Richmond’s most obvious geographical trait is the James River which cuts through it, but despite this direct relationship, the river is seldom acknowledged in the city’s downtown. In a city, there are no built environments more valuable or democratic than its public spaces. In the twenty-first century, public libraries have become one of the last vestiges of truly free public space, having the opportunity to become the nucleus of a city’s culture and a nexus of connection for its people.
Rights
© Abigail Fundling
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-22-2020